Population and Housing Censuses Activities in the African Region: Key Issues and Challenges

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The 2006 African Statistics Day
By Dimitri Sanga, Senior Statistician
The Third Meeting of the Advisory Board on
Statistics in Africa 13-14 June 2006, Addis
Ababa
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Outline

• Background
• Previous Themes for the African Statistics Day
• Proposed Theme for the 2006 African Statistics
  Day
• Proposed Advocacy Materials for the 2006 African
  Statistics Day
• Issues for Consideration by the Board

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Background

• African Statistics Day (ASD)
• Advocacy tool aimed at raising awareness of the
  importance of Statistics in economic and social
  development in Africa
• Celebrated every year on the 18th of November
• Initiated by one of the former ECAs Subsidiary
  Bodies the Joint African Conference of Planners,
  Statisticians, and Demographers
• Perpetuated by the Committee on Development
  Information (CODI) which replaced this latter
  body

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Previous Themes for the ASD

• 1993 Strengthening Statistical Information
  Systems for Development and political Reforms
• 1994 Building Necessary Capacities to support
  Sustainable Development and Regional Integration
• 1995 Increasing Data Production and
  Dissemination for Efficient Analysis and
  Management of socio-economic policies
•  1996Towards Poverty Eradication in Africa Data
  and Statistics for Policies and Programmes
• 1997Building an Information Society
• 1998 Harnessing Information for Development
• 1999 Improving Coordination of Statistical
  Activities and Programmes

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Previous Themes of the ASD (Contd)

• 2000 Poverty Reduction Strengthening
  Statistical Capacity for Measuring and Monitoring
  Poverty
• 2001 Transforming African Economies Role of
  Statistical Information
• 2002 Governance and Development A challenge for
  Africa
• 2003 Monitoring Progress Towards the Millennium
  Development Goals The Challenge for Statistics
• 2004 Managing for Development Results The Role
  of Statistical Information
• 2005 The 2010 Round of Censuses An Opportunity
  to Improve Statistical Information for Monitoring
  Africas Development Agenda

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Proposed Theme for the 2006 ASD

• This years theme should focus on the National
  Strategies for the Development of Statistics
  (NSDS)
• Rationale
• African Countries have committed to develop NSDSs
  by 2006 and start implementing them in 2007

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Proposed Materials for the Celebrations of the
2006 ASD

• Previous editions
• Press Communiqué
• Posters
• Radio messages
• Additional materials
• Advocacy DVD on the importance of statistics for
  African development (CoM 2006)
• Script
• Potential co-celebration with the Ethiopian
  Central Statistical Authority

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Issues for Consideration by the Board

• The Board may wish to comment on
• The proposed theme for the celebrations of the
  the 2006 ASD
• Suggestions for potential formulations of the
  2006 ASD theme
• The proposed advocacy material for the
  celebrations of the the 2006 ASD
• Suggestions for potential directions to
  effectively help countries to celebrate the ASD
• Any other issues related to the ASD

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Thank you!